


stepping up

by chiarascura



Series: overwatch ficlets [26]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Dad Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Gen, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 23:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10796568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiarascura/pseuds/chiarascura
Summary: for @carverly (thank u bab <333) who requested stepping up from the sick fic prompt meme: "boss/leader (character) is clearly miserable, so the others go out of their way to take as much of their workload as possible"





	stepping up

Gabe took a deep breath. He tried, anyway, and it ended in a cough that wracked his chest and scraped his throat. He bent over his desk, head in his hands, and tried to breathe. 

He never got sick. He was not sick. He had shit to do, and he’d do it. 

As soon as the numbers stopped blurring on the page.

A knock sounded at his door, and he called, “come in,” in a hoarse voice.

“Hey boss,” Jesse said. His boots clicked on the floor as he approached, and a steaming hot cup of something fragrant was set beside his elbow. “Brought ya something.” 

Gabe leaned back in his chair and felt a tickle in the back of his throat. He tried to banish it by clearing his throat, which turned into another coughing fit. 

Jesse stood beside his desk until his coughing subsided, then pushed the mug towards him. Gabe grumbled and took a sip. “This isn’t coffee.”

“Your powers of deduction are dang frightening.” He raised an eyebrow at Gabe. Gabe glared back at him.

“I wanted coffee. This is hot leaf water.”

Jesse rolled his eyes and leaned a hip against the desk. “Yeah, well, coffee ain’t good for you when you’re sick. This’ll be better for your throat.” 

Gabe narrowed his eyes and stared at Jesse over the cup. Jesse stared back. Gabe had to admit, the tea smelled fragrant and it would certainly soothe the pain. He sighed and gave in. 

He closed his eyes and took a sip, the tea burning his tongue but it felt amazing on his raw and scratchy throat. As he looked back at Jesse, the man was palming some of his papers and tucking them into a bag at his feet. 

“What the fuck. Are you doing.” 

Jesse’s eyes widened and he froze like a deer in the woods catching sight of a predator. “Uh. Nothing.”

“You’re stealing my shit. Why are you stealing my papers.” It wasn’t a question.

Jesse’s eyes darted across the room. “I’m just… straightening them.” He fidgeted with them until they sat in a pile that was messier than before. 

Gabe rubbed the space between his eyebrows and sighed. The headache throbbed behind his eyes. He knew what Jesse was doing, trying to sneak some of the massive pile away to handle them. Gabe knew some of them were low level priorities, short missions or research that Jesse could take on without a doubt. Still, letting go of responsibility was not one of Gabe’s strong suits. 

He sat back in his chair and pressed two fingers to each of his temples. Letting Jesse do some of this and going back to bed sounded like a relief.  “Fine. If you sit here quietly, you can take that pile. I’ll take this one.”

Jesse dipped his head in acknowledgement and sat down in one of the chairs across the desk, propped some papers on his knee, and began to read. His face was so serious, and Gabe wondered if giving him more responsibility wouldn’t be the worst idea. 

Since turning away from Deadlock, Jesse had proven himself loyal and hardworking. He threw himself into every mission; early on, it had been more suicidal and reckless, but now he was dedicated and thoughtful. He had grown so much, and pride welled in Gabe’s chest while watching Jesse taking over some of this work. Gabe wondered if maybe he could use some assistance with leading Blackwatch.

A hacking cough interrupted his thought, and he went back to his own work. 

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr [@janeclawsten](http://janeclawsten.tumblr.com/) for overwatch and dragon age and you can send me prompts too


End file.
